After 12 matches were played in the preliminary round of the 3rd IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, the competition reached its knock-out phase, with the four quarter-finals deciding which teams extend their medals hopes and which head to the Placement Matches.

The four quarter-finals will be played at 10:30 EEST and 12:30 EEST on Friday, 20 September, with the two semi-finals also scheduled later on Friday, at 17:00 and 19:00 in the Dr Hassan Moustafa Hall in 6 of October, Egypt, before the medal matches are scheduled for Saturday.

3rd IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship – quarter-finals schedule

• 10:30 EEST Brazil vs India
• 10:30 EEST United States of America vs Chile
• 12:30 EEST Portugal vs France
• 12:30 EEST Egypt vs Japan

There is no room for mistake now for the teams taking part in the 3rd IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, as any lost set could derail their challenge for a medal and that is especially true for the two sides with an immaculate record, the two group winners, Brazil and Portugal.

Considered two of the favourites to win the title before the start of the competition, due to their wins in the 2022 IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship and the 2022 World and European Wheelchair Handball Championship, the two sides are the only ones with a 100% record, winning three out of three so far, therefore facing the fourth-placed teams in the other groups.

Two years ago, Brazil beat India, 2:0 (5:4; 12:0) and they are expected to do the same here, extending their winning run to 11 matches in the competition, as they are unbeaten in both editions. So far, the South American side has dominated with the defence, having by far the lowest number of points conceded, 18, 19 less than any other side in the competition.

Brazil also have the best pair of goalkeepers, with Edivan Beatto saving seven shots, for a 100% efficiency, while Marcelo Amaral has 27 saves for a 66% saving efficiency, a fantastic performance for both players.

Their attack has not been so potent – only the fourth best in the competition – while Portugal have scored 50 points, the second best attack behind Japan. But Portugal will also be heavily favoured against France, the only side which has not sealed a point so far, conceding three losses in straight sets and boasting the most permeable defence, with 54 points.

Portugal also have the joint top scorer on their side, Ricardo Queiros, who scored 35 of his side’s 50 points so far, being tied with Egypt’s Magdy Talaat Abdo Abbas, who has a 61% shooting efficiency, as opposed to Queiros’ 70%.

Talaat Abdo Abbas will be crucial for Egypt, as the hosts, runners-up in the 2022 IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, are due to face a plucky Japan side, which has lost two matches and won a single one, but have the best attack in the competition so far, with 56 points scored.

With a fast-paced style, Japan have conceded too many points, and lost the last four sets they played against the United States of America and Brazil, as they rely heavily on Shinnosuke Morooka (29 points) and Yukitaka Moriya (20 points), who scored 87.5% of their team’s points.

Egypt have more experience, but will have to eliminate mistakes, as the two sides have the most attempts on goal in the preliminary round, with Japan shooting 90 times and Egypt 81 times in the first three matches.

In the last quarter-final, United States of America, the debutants which finished second in their group, will aim to make it to the semi-finals and have a chance to win a medal, as they meet Chile, a plucky side which lost two of the three matches.

But three of the five sets lost by Chile so far have been by a single point, while another was by two points, which depicts the South American side, placed fourth in 2022, as a team hard to beat.

However, the USA’s main issue has been their efficiency in front of the goal, where they only converted 37.6% of their shots, the seventh best efficiency in the competition.